Splints are often needed in remote locations to address broken bones or to immobilize a human appendage, such as a broken leg or arm. In civilian life, accident locations such as at a mountain climbing site, a ski slope, or on a remote wilderness trail can present logistical difficulty in attending to a person and immobilizing an injured arm or leg. Emergency medical personnel at the scene of an accident often have need for a fast and efficient means for immobilizing a body part. Military battle field injuries often require quick and effective immobilization often at other than straight configurations, for example arm injuries where holding the arm with a 90 degree angle is preferred.
Portable splints using available technology typically involve a rolled product, such as aluminum covered with a sponge-like material. For remote applications, splints are typically carried, usually in a backpack. Rolled products, while lightweight, are often bulky and time consuming to configure. Existing products are uncoiled or unrolled and then cut to length. In use, such product is usually curved, not flat, so as to provide added resistance to bending stresses when in use.